FAQ SHEET ON LYME PREVENTION

The ticks and fleas are out in full force so I’ve been doing some more research on the best and safest preventive measure against Lyme disease. I’ve come to the conclusion that homeopathic Ledum is the best defense against Lyme disease (for dogs and humans alike). If you have tried many topicals to get rid of fleas but haven’t had any luck then try SENTRY CapGuard Nitenpyram, its a oral capsule that smells and test like beef so your pet will just think its a treat.

Here’s a FAQ sheet on Lyme prevention.

What is Lyme Disease? Lyme disease is caused by infection with a bacterium called a spirochete (Borrelia burgdorferi) and is transmitted to humans by infected ticks (Ixodes scapularis and I. Pacificus).

Will Frontline prevent Lyme? No. Frontline will not prevent Lyme. It doesn’t repel ticks at all and the tick still delivers the spirochete before it dies.

But why does my vet tell me that Frontline prevents Lyme? In laboratory tests the tick takes 48 hours to infect the dog. The premise is that the tick will die before it has a chance to infect the dog. More proof is coming out that the local ticks deliver the spirochete faster, hence Frontlined dogs are contracting Lyme disease. It makes perfect sense that wild life is more robust in its natural environment than in a laboratory. It’s too bad it took so long for the medical community to figure that out. Historically, we’ve seen many dogs with Lyme disease who have been Frontlined, both with the Save A Dog volunteer’s dogs as well as our adopter’s dogs. It might be a hard sell to convince some of the high end veterinarians who sell the preventive to let go of that idea or of the revenue.

Is there anything I can put on my dog to keep the ticks off? There are virtually no benign drops or sprays available as most contain pesticides. It is a known fact that pesticides cause cancer. Therefore, in my opinion, using spot-on products is like burning your house down to get rid of ants. Read your ingredients as there are some oils and herbs that will deter ticks.

Is there something I can put in my dog’s food to keep the ticks off? Yes. Garlic and brewer’s yeast is well known as a deterrent to keep the bugs off of dogs. It’s safe and it’s been used for years. You can buy it in a tablet or get it in a powder from most health food stores. http://www.holisticpetinfo.com/conditions/immune_support.htm is a helpful Web site. They also sell Moducare, which is touted by holistic vets as building the immune system against Lyme and other diseases. Astragalus is also well known as a good defense against Lyme disease as it builds up the dog’s defense system against Lyme.

What can I put on my lawn that’s safe for dogs? There’s a product called Garlic Barrier that you can spray on your lawn to keep the ticks away. It’s safe for pets. http://www.garlicbarrier.com/ and it’s sold at Home Depot .

What can I give my dog after they’ve been bitten by a tick? A really good defense against Lyme disease is homeopathic Ledum. Homeopathy strengthens the vital force and is very successful at curing diseases of the blood as well as chronic diseases. For a human, take one homeopathic pellet of Ledum 30c twice a day for 2 days following the tick bite. For dogs, give the same dose of Ledum 200c. Since dogs aren’t as able to dissolve a pellet on their tongue, you can dilute it in 4 oz of distilled water, once the pellet dissolves, stir briskly, and give 1cc or several drops on the dog’s tongue. Discard the water after the second day.

What about the homeopathic nosode? The homeopathic nosode made from the Borrelia Bordorferi spirochete has been used successfully to prevent as well as treat lyme disease. It’s wise to use the nosode to prepare yourself or your dog when the ticks are not biting. Separate instructions for its use are available by emailing shirley@saveadog.org. The same nosode can be used in a 200c potency to treat Lyme, but you should work with a homeopath as the dosage needs to be monitored.

What about the lyme vaccine? The lyme vaccine causes heart disease and heart attacks – don’t be fooled into this deadly vaccine as we’ve seen more than a few of lyme-vaccinated dogs whose lives have been cut short as a result of heart disease. The only protects 17-34% of the dogs and is not worth the risk of heart disease and painful arthritis. Your dog will have better protection with a strong immune system. If your dog has already been vaccinated with the lyme vaccine, you can treat them herbally with hawthorne and dandelion. A good product is available at http://www.heartwormfree.com/hawthorn_dandelion.htm .

What if my dog has Lyme disease? If your dog has Lyme disease, you should work with a homeopath as the treatment is individualized depending on a number of things, one being the advancement of the pathology. This will determine the course of action. At the very least, ask for a C6 test so that you can get a baseline of the number of antibodies in the dog’s blood. This will be your yard stick for determining if the disease is progressing or is on its way out of the body. Dr. Stephen Tobin of Meriden, CT, has successfully treated thousands of lyme-infected dogs and horses. He advises giving the lyme positive dog Ledum 1M three times a day for three days in a row. More information on treating Lyme Disease with homeopathy, read The Homeopathic Treatment of Lyme Disease by Peter Alex.

What about giving Doxycycline? More information is now out there that doxycycline does not stop the disease from progressing. It seems to lower the numbers of antibodies for awhile, but Lyme disease progresses nevertheless. Many homeopaths agree that doxycycline and other antibiotics will prevent the immune system from fighting the disease, so it’s a double-edged sword. The numbers look good for awhile, but it comes back with a vengeance. I’ve personally seen this over and over with friends and volunteer’s dogs, and with people too. Also, since the lyme spirochete confers no immunity, once a dog has lyme, they can be reinfected every time exposed. Once you treat for lyme, you have to wait six months before having another C6 blood test done.

47 comments so far

I Have used Frontline always and was also told it prevents Lime Disease. After being a faithful user I took both of my pets to the vet this week and they were diagnosed with Lime disease.. I contacted the Merrill company which makes frontline and they really showed no sympath or did they care this had happen to my dogs.. I will NEVER purchase any of their products again.. Now my puppy will live with this for the reast of her life. I am devastated.

I have just saved a small poodle
He was completely paralysed from a deadly Australian tick
I had reseached Ledum for a year and decided to try for 1/2 hr before going to the Vet
It was a miracle,although I stayed up all night not believing it could truly work
The pup is now perfectly OK

I’ve used doxycycline for my dogs ONLY after they became symtomatic following a typical tick bite. Common sense indicates that FrontLine is useless against preventing Lyme Disease; Therefore, I chose NOT to endanger my dogs with the toxins. Doxycycline is an amazing drug. My dogs have NOT had any side-effects and the Lyme symtoms NEVER returned. It’s been SIX years since treatment. Can anyone please offer any insight???

My great pyr who lives outdoors with my sheep flock contacted lyme-my vet put him on doxycycline and it has been 3 months since the last dose & his limp is almost unnoticeable. He is 3 yrs old & never had frontline. what next?
One of my cats had frontline and she died of oral cancer @ 8 yrs old-she was an indoor cat.
out of 5 cats she was the only one treated regularly w/frontline becaus she was succeptable to fleas.

Homeopathy has no scientific basis and has repeatedly been shown to be no better than a placebo when tested in controlled circumstances. The reason there are no side effects from homeopathy is that there are also no EFFECTS from it. I can’t believe that you are promoting homeopathy as the cure for a known case of infection with Lyme. As George states above, most cases of Lyme can be treated and cured with antibiotics. Failing to treat your pet is neglectful.

Tell that to the dogs. They can’t fake a placebo. What convinced me of homeopathy is watching a puppy suffering from an allergic reaction to a bee sting completely recover in less than 10 minutes after a remedy was given. Read The Science of Homeopathy by George Vithoulkas. It’s one of my favorite books.

I always say that science doesn’t know all! I’ve seen some amazing cures with homeopathy, especially in our cat who had distemper as a kitten. The vet thought for sure she wouldn’t make it.

I was very ill in my late 20s, with no reflex response left, too tired and weak to do anything, etc. Medical docs just told me to get a life, wouldn’t do any testing or anything. A neighbor introduced me to homeopathy and I came across a class on it at the community college, so I took it and after just 3 classes I decided it made too much sense not to try and I had nothing to lose by trying. Within a month I was so much better, no more yeast infections, bladder infections, headaches, etc. I don’t think I’d be around if I hadn’t tried it.

Shirley, do you ever do long distance appts.? I have yet to find a good homeopath for animals. I wish you were in my part of the country so I could volunteer with your shelter. Keep up the good work!

Read The Science of Homeopathy by George Vithoulkas. Also, note that Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Luck Montagnier, the very researcher who identified the AIDS virus, came out in favor of homeopathy. Here’s a link to an article on his research:

Thank you for sharing thisinfo Shirley. I have been worried about over medicating my dog as my last dog died prematurely of cancer after being over-vaccinated and medicated. I trusted my vet. My dog suffered from my lack of education. I am using garlic and brewers yeast now as well as a lemon spray an herbal remedy I found in abook by a holistic vetrinarian and it is all effective against parasites. I am thankful to have found non-toxic remedies! I truly appreciate your homeopathic information on this topic and the useful links thanks
E

My dog is on doxycycline for a whole three months strainght for lyme disease this is her last month. Vet wanted to see if this will wipe it out, or for it not to hit so hard when it reaccures. Is it safe to take this much?

I love save a dog for everything they do for these animals, including the one on the couch next to me now. Nevertheless, I have to agree with Kathy, science says homeopathy=quackery. If you are considering using this treatment please see a vet to make sure you are doing all you can do.
There’s no evidence that homeopathy has any negative effects, but it easily could, if it’s used as an alternative to a proven treatment. So do both!

For anyone who doesn’t believe in Homeopathy
The royal family live to be 100 and they use it all the time
Doctors are where you go when you have a broken limb
even then they will fill you full of chemicals
Doctors know very little about diet just look at hospital food!!!

I know my vet tried to sell me on that frontline rubbish even though I explained I have NO fleas on my dogs or in my house, all my floors are ceramic tile and there’s no carpeting they can live/breed in either.
I forget now if she either convinced me to take a trial size for ticks, or if she managed to hard sell it to me, but I noticed after it was applied to the dog, maybe the next day if not sooner I started having a wierd sinus problem, it’s been about 3 years so I don’t remember all the details, but I think my eyes were watering, and my sinus was burning and running and I never had such a thing happen and I have no allergies or sensitivities.
I washed the stuff off the dog’s neck and my sinus/eye watering issue faded away.
What ever is in this stuff, it can do a wicked thing on some people’s sinus!

As a lifelong dog owner, I have observed both ends of the treatment spectrum, from traditional to holistic. Holistic works. It strengthens the immune system, enabling the body to fight infection. Fleas can be managed through applications of food-grade diatomaceous earth (I learned this from Shirley), sprinkled liberally over the dog/cat’s body. Also good for thrush in horse’s hooves. Also good for various types of worms in dogs.
@Kathy 2/2012, science may claim that homeopathy doesn’t work. Keep in mind the “science” speaking here are the big pharma companies, and the universities they fund. Thank you to Shirley for sharing all this info.

My 15 year old mini poodle was just diagnosed with Lyme disease. The Vet gave him 100 milligrams of Doxycycline 2x a day for 28 days. I’m afraid to give it to him because I came down with Ehrlichia this spring and I was on Doxy for a month and felt like I was going to die. I was sick from this medication everyday and very depressed.
Is it safe to give to my baby or is there a chance that at his age it might get him sick to the point of no return. I’m so afraid. Please help!

Hi Joanne,
I understand your concerns about the Doxy. At the very least it will upset your dog’s bowel flora. If you have a homeopathic veterinarian you can work with, you can be helped to choose the right treatment for your dog. The ledum 1M may be too high of a potency for your dog. I always use lower potencies when treating older pets. That’s why it is best to work with someone experienced who can match the remedy potency to your dog’s vital force. A weaker vital force is going to warrant a lower potency. You might also call Dr. Steven Tobin in Meriden, CT, and ask for a phone consult. He is the vet who developed the Ledum protocol and he has successfully treated thousands of dogs and horses with Ledum.

I agree, homeopathy is good because it has almost no side effects whereas allopath leaves lots of side effects. There are more harms than cure with allopathy that result in bad health.
Natural supplements and naturopathy are other best ways.

homeopathy does have side effects. I gave my son homeopathy for ADD and he was petrified to go anywhere (even to his best friends house), scared to go to bed or do anything. I took him off of the homeopathic remedies and within a couple days he was back to normal.

I do believe homeopathy can work, but so can pharma. Both are scary because taking too much of anything can be harmful but not enough is useless. I wish there was an exact science to both.

My 9 month old puppy was limping. limping shifting from leg to leg. the vet thought it was degenerative disease (at only 9 moths old). I read the effects of lyme disease (I am in the northeast and we go for trail walks daily) and she has/had the exact symptoms. She was put on doxycyline and is still on it. After 3 days of treatment her limping is significantly decreased (she was so bad her legs where starting to collapse on her). I would give a dog doxycycline when you know they have lyme disease but then try to manage holistically. I also think if you are not in a high tick borne area there is no need to treat with pharma and can probably get away with the holistic approach. But be careful if you live in the northeast! I have had canine and human friends that have gotten lyme disease and it is ugly!!

I completely agree!! My family, myself in included and our dogs have all been treated allopathically and naturopathically for Lyme. Usually, the “big guns” (aka antibiotics) are warranted and then supplements can offer great maintenance support. Maybe try the least offensive first and if this does not work, GET THE BIG GUNS OUT ….antibiotics literally saved my life- and I tried EVERYTHING.

Ever notice on the package of Frontline that it says in big letters: CAUTION! KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN! It also says if you get it on your skin, immediately wash it with soap and water and rince immediately. REALLY?! Then why on earth would I EVER put it on my dog?!?!?! When I get back from walking my dogs (goldens) in “tick season”, I brush them and check for ticks. I check them several times a day. It’s a pain, but I’d never ever put that cancerous junk on my dogs.

My dog, Daisy, was diagnosed with Lyme disease last year. She was treated with antibiotics (doxycycline) for 21 days and retested with a C6 blood test. She still showed active for Lyme disease with a number of 76. I refused further antibiotics. I opted to treat homeopathically using Ledum 1M, 1 pellet 3 times a day for 3 days. Total cost $11.74 for the Ledum. Daisy was treated with the protocol I listed above, and retested approximately 2 months later. Her number went down to 26 which is in the inactive range. I waited another 2 months and retreated her with the Ledum just for the heck of it. Waited another 2 months and just got her C6 blood test results again. Not only is she not testing active or inactive, her test came back completely NEGATIVE. It is as if she never had Lyme. She has been CURED using Ledum. with out the side affects of antibiotics and the damage to the immune system that they subsequently cause. For skeptics out there I suggest you actually try it before you pass negative comments about homeopathy and its results.

If you tested Daisy right after giving her doxycycline she would still test positive. Dogs will still test positive for 3-6 months. You should have waited and retested in the right amount of time and you may have ended up with the same test results. The negative test results may not have been from the Ledum, but from the length of time you waited after her doxycycline treatment.

Just a quick note that garlic can indeed be toxic to dogs if dosed improperly. I have had several clients who used garlic powder for years with great success to control parasites. However, the local health food store got in a new brand of garlic powder and several dogs became life threateningly anemic due to garlic toxicity. I now encourage the use of small amounts of fresh garlic or a commercial product labeled for pets instead of home use of garlic powder to ensure safety and efficacy.

I purchased Front-line as a preventative against ticks and fleas as advised by my Veterinarian. I only had my dog on this product for several months. Prior to using Frontline I used Advantix, but my dog had a serious reaction to the product and almost died. That near death experience, seeing my dog’s health rapidly decline so quickly caused me to turn to Front line as an alternative. Shortly after starting Frontline, my highly energetic and healthy dog became lame and lethargic ” depressed,” unable to exercise, and even more disconcerting, didn’t want to go for our daily walk! Being he’s a Siberian Husky who loves to exercise outdoors for hours, I knew something was terribly wrong. I took him to the Vet and sure enough, he tested positive for Lyme disease! I contacted Frontline’s – Merril Co.,and spoke to a representative who conveyed to me that Front- line does not repel or prevent Lyme disease. Ticks will still host on your pet and can still transmit the disease. I told her the advertisement states something entirely different than what I am actually experiencing. There are ticks on him more frequently now and I am finding them even on his bed, engorged after having dropped off from feeding. I live in a tick infested area where Lyme disease is prevalent not only in dogs, but also people. He is on doxcycycline right now, but he still is somewhat lame and walks with difficulty. Also, he lost his appetite so I can’t even give him his medicine. I don’t know what to do?! I feel the company gave me false advertisement and the Veterinarian made a lot of money off of me, simply because Frontline (which he recommended) didn’t work, and now my dog is ill because of all of these mishaps! I am thoroughly disgusted with the entire industry! I spent close to three hundred dollars on Doxcycycline and my personal physician told me that this medication is very inexpensive and that the plastic bottle that contains the pills, costs more than the medicine itself! My Vet made 100% profit off of this drug and sale. I want to go holistic and almost wish I didn’t buy doxycycline, but am concerned that without the intervention my dog would die! If my advice can be a warning to others about this product, I am glad to offer it.

i would say from my experiences that ledum palustre 1m really does work. I have used it for myself, my dog, and my horse. my dog had off the chart titers . the vets said that he would probably never test negative again. I treated him w ledum . His titers went down to 0! the vets could not believe it. they still wont advocate or tell others about ledum but it was satisfying to get the result. for my horse , he had crazy lyme symptoms and went very crippled behind. spent hundreds going to clinic to have him ultrasounded . found nothing. then the cornell lymes test showed that he had an older infection and somewhat newer one, but the vet did not want to treat as they said his titers were not high enough. so I tried bovine colostrum for him. which the barn manager said she has seen work for lymes. within 3 days he was totally all better! completely… vet could not believe it and insisted it was just a coincidence. he just was acting symptomatic again and I gv him colostrum and again wihin 3 days all better. vet came and did lymes test this time again and said it is totally negative (and he did not get any doxy since last test last year when he was positive) for myself I got a tick embedded under my skin under my arm in a difficult place to see. it was totally embedded . kept itching it and showing it to others but they could not see a tick either . by end of week I was in total pain with feber of 102. minute clinic dug tick out and said there was classic bulls eye and noted fever o 102. sent me to er with note saying I def had lymes and tick in to go bag, as was a sat and mass nurse practitioners were not allowed to prescribe meds. did er dr prescribe doxy/ or believe I should be treated for lymes? NOOOO – said Lymes was “rare”. so – I treated myself with ledum palustre 1m 3x day for 3 days. ALL BETTER by the end of the treatment … did get doxy script finally after going to other dr and took it just to be safe. but I believe the ledum is what worked…So – I definitely believe in these alternative treatments and think they work better than the antibiotics… also 1m potency is higher than what is considered homeopathic . you cant get that potency at a homeopathy…

After the horrible side effects from the doxycycline, (vomiting everyday, panting uncontrollably at night, as if out of breath and having run a marathon) the Vet has taken him off of Doxcycycline. I decided to purchase the Ledum 1M as prescribed by Dr. S. Tobin. I just received the package yesterday and will begin treatment shortly. I will submit another comment if he is healed. Right now, he is showing signs of Lyme again (paralysis of hind legs) after having been taken off doxycycline). He never completed the regiment prescribed by the Vet because of the serious side effects to the drug. If Ledum doesn’t improve his health, the Vet recommended Amoxcilan for a month. I HOPE the Ledum works!

Currently waiting for results of a Lyme test for my 15 mo. old pup. Glad to have found this site. I do not use Frontline or any other toxic substance on my dog…hoping for a negative result, but if positive will definitely be contacting a source to obtain Ledum. Have made enough bad, damaging experiences with allopathy and my own health, and been greatly helped by acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. As for homeopathy…it’s for real and effective. Unfortunately due to severe allergies I have had severe reactions to just ONE bead and cannot use it for myself.

Hi Shirley, I gave my dog Ledum 1m just as you said for three days and then stopped and I saw an improvement in him right away , but he is still weak and with no appetite, diarrhea, and he is constantly chewing 0n different parts of his body which open up to sores which I have been trying to keep clean as not to get infected. I have been putting sulfur on them to try and dry them out and keep flies away. I have just received a bottle of Ledum 200ck and I wanted to ask you if I can give him that since the Ledum 1m was already given to him last dose 1-8-17. If you say I can ,could you give me directions on dosage . Thanks you so much again. Frank , in Panama

Hi Frank, Yes, you can try the 200c, but if you still don’t see an improvement then your dog’s case should be taken because there are symptoms not related to lyme that he’s presenting. Sometimes homeopaths give remedies in ascending or descending potencies so if you started with the 1M, then you can go to the 200c and then the 30c. I suspect there is a deeper disturbance though. Shirley

My 82 pound lab was just diagnosed with Lyme. If I treat him with ledum 1m, how many pellets should I give per dosing? Also, do you suggest giving your dog any type of homeopathic remedy immediately after rabies vaccine or only if the dog shows symptoms of reaction to the vaccine? Thank you for your help.

The number of pellets can be 2 or 3 if you’re using the Boiron larger pellets, or 6 or 7 if the smaller, pin-head sized ones. After any vaccine I give thuja 30c the first day and thuja 200c the following day. If your dog shows a reaction, then give the thuja every 20 minutes. If it’s anaphalactic then try Apis 30c. You can take him to the vet if that’s the case but I’ve heard case after case where they only give benadryl.

My Dog came down with a nasty case of lyme. He lost weight and has been having a lot of pain in his joints. He had a 30 day coarse of doxy. He had blood work done post doxy and WBC is normal as well as kidney function. Appetite has improved but was still not what it was prior to lymes still in much pain. I gave him the ledum 3 times daily for 3 days and showed some improvement but is still a very slow recovery. its been a couple weeks. Ho much ledum can he use at this point ?

Wow…. so glad I read your article/blog. Last weekend, I (almost) got the Lyme Vaccine for my dog. When I found out it was a yearly vaccine, I decided to go home and think about it. I’m Leary of vaccines because our last dog (cocker spaniel) ended up with an autoimmune problem because of a vaccine he had received and lived 14 of his 16 years on Prednesone. I noticed that you mention Not to use Frontline necessarily. I guess I assumed it kept ticks away or off of them. We don’t have fleas in our area so now I’m wondering why I applied it to the back of her neck if it doesn’t take care of ticks. Is the chemical or drug in Frontline bad for the dog? Any advice would be appreciated. Originally I found your article as I did a search for Doxycycline for Lyme. I found a tick on my dog about 5 hours after my son had taken her out for a long walk. She picked up a tick that I didn’t notice when I gave her a bath outside the same day he walked her. I get nervous when I find a tick, as I’ve gone through all that from two different tick bites. I was trying to find out if I should or could give my dog some Doxy… in a small dose to kill any potential floating bacteria in her system. From your blog it looks like it takes longer than 5 hours for a tick to infect a dog. Again, any advice is appreciated.

Get yourself some homeopathic ledum in a 200c potency and give it to your dog after a tick bite. It cleanses the blood in a non-toxic, very gentle, yet efficient way. I do not fear ticks because I have the ledum. Frontline is a poison. The main active ingredient in Frontline Plus, fipronil, was developed between 1985 and 1987 by Rhone Paulenc AG as a broad-use insecticide. It was introduced into the market in 1993. Purdue University did a study on Frontline and after only two doses the dogs were 60% more likely to develop bladder cancer. Avoid Frontline like the plague. All those poisons will sicken your dog and yourself. Homeopathy is the pathway to the cure. The more you can learn about it, the more you will be able to combat the pesky ailments that affect yourself and your dog.

I’ve battle ticks in a pecan tree in my yard for 3 years now, My 8 year old female Boxer, which has had several ticks but usually no longer than 24 hours (I groom them daily) now has all symptoms of lymes. Before learning about Ledum 1M which I’ve ordered and on the way, I’ve started Abby on cats claw, turmeric, boswellia, olive leaf, insitol 6, 2000 mg buffered C and colloidal silver. My question is should I quit these during the 3 days of Ledum? And if so should I resume? Any advise is greatly appreciated!! Just love your website and would like to add your link to my website

Hi Vikki, Yes, you can continue the supplements while giving the homeopathic remedy Ledum. Homeopathy is energy medicine so it addresses the issue on a dynamic level. Food won’t bother it. You just don’t want to put it in the food as it will lose it’s effectiveness. Always give a remedy on a clean palate and it tends to work better if you place a few of the pellets in purified water (4 oz), stir or shake and drop a few drops onto your pet’s clean tongue. I hope that helps.

Sorry I missed your question. You can give the pellets dry but it works a little better/faster in water if you shake it up. A few pellets in 4 oz water. I do 3 days and then once a week and then switch to 200c weekly during tick season. Best to you!